After a six-year hiatus, Indonesia has revealed it will return to the Venice Biennale for its 61st edition.

Curated by Aminudin TH Siregar—an art critic and curator at Jakarta’s National Gallery of Indonesia—the pavilion will trace Indonesia’s cultural identity through old books, lithographic prints, and other archival visual materials, presented alongside contemporary works by 14 emerging artists who are yet to be announced. The exhibition, titled “Printing the Unprinted,” aims to introduce the diverse forms, styles, and philosophies that underpin the country’s art history to an international audience. 

Indonesian minister of culture, Fadli Zon, and his team discussed the project in a March 6 press conference, noting: “This is an opportunity to promote our culture because we have so many talents, skills, and, of course, great artists and cultural figures.” 

Indonesia last took part in the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019 with a presentation titled “Lost Verses,” curated by Asmudjo Jono Irianto. The pavilion showcased a sprawling, interactive installation by artists Handiwirman Saputra and Syagini Ratna Wulan. Comprising an arrangement of 400 glass lockers and a functioning ferris wheel, the work explores the notion of gamifying one’s psychological experience of time and space, drawing on the Minang proverb akal tak sekali datang, runding tak sekali tiba (“reason and negotiation never come just once”), which articulates the layered process of meaning-making through internal deliberation. 

Located in the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, a graphic design and printmaking institution in Venice, the exhibition will run from May 9 to November 22. 

Minnie Chan is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.